Long extendable electrical cords, signal cables, water hoses, air hoses and the like which preferably remain attached or connected at their source present a problem relative to storage during periods in which they are not in use.
Telephone cords have been provided in spirals so that they may be stretched out for use with the flexibility of the spiraled cord permitting it to retract partially to a more manageable length when not in use. Cords of this type, however, readily become twisted and tangled.
Various types of spring biased reels have been provided for automatically retracting the cord. To accommodate the rewinding of the cord without the attendant twisting at its connected end, commutating rings, brushes and the like have been used. In the case of water hoses, rotating fluid couplings employing O-ring seals have been employed.